Cancun redux
Reflecting upon the fifth ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization at Cancun, a Down To Earth editorial (see: "How not to lose …
Reform in fossil fuel subsidy is a mitigation opportunity
Money saved from the phasing out of fuel subsidies can be used for social and development programmes
Wasted wealth
Organic composting is filthy business. Facilities flout norms, produce poor quality manure
"Subsidy culture has killed local agriculture"
Thupstan Chhewang, Chief Executive Councillor and chairperson of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) speaks to Down To Earth.
Ladakh on the move
Ladakh is the one region in India where sustainable development is the only way ahead. Dry toilets, water efficient crops, cooperative farming, a …
Double financing for natural ecosystems by 2025 to deal with climate, biodiversity crises: UN report
Current global investments in nature-based solutions $154 billion per year, needs to be $384 billion
India shakes up WTO
The fracas over India's refusal to meet the deadline on trade facilitation exposes rich nations' double standards
Rooftop hurdles
Financial and policy issues hinder the adoption of grid-connected rooftop solar power in the country
Smoke in the kitchen
The new ‘green’ biomass cookstove has immense potential but why is it missing in homes?
Rich bias
THE SKEPTICAL ENVIRONMENTALIST Bjørn Lomborg · Cambridge University Press · Cambridge · 2001 · Pages: pp 515 &…
World Trade Outcry
How inevitable was the collapse of talks at the World Trade Organization? How engineered was it? CLIFFORD POLYCARP reports from the streets and …
EU threat to farmers
Free trade pact with EU will have a severe impact on Indian agriculture, specially the dairy sector
Trade barred
Countries protect their renewable energy equipment. Exporting nations see it as trade barrier
Why the US is such a bully
US attempts to kill of global democracy are getting more commonplace than ever. In such a political climate, it is impossible to talk about …
The Bali myth of $1 trillion trade gains
Trade facilitation is a major imposition on developing countries with little likelihood of promised benefits
Olympics 2008, Beijing - raising the bar
Beijing is implementing strict measures to improve air quality, a commitment it took on as host of the 2008 Olympic Games. But a boom in …
Crank it up
Sugar mills in India are doubling up as power generators by burning crushed sugarcane or bagasse. But with the price of bagasse rising, their …
Transition failure
With an eye on the 2014 general election, the UPA government is expanding its ambitious Direct Benefit Transfer programme that promises welfare …
Mission possible
The Centre gives India just about eight years to free its villages of open defecation. This seems unlikely. But the states of Sikkim, Haryana and …
Fair farming
The European Union buckles under the pressure of the developing countries to reduce agricultural subsidies
Trade truce
It was neither a victory for the North nor a defeat for the South. Environment took centrestage as the main bargaining chip, but the discussions …
Capturing the monsoons
It's a season that inspires and engages everyone, from the farmer to the policy maker. From the scientist to the travel writer. From the …
Kind to Cash
A short stop motion that shows all the schemes that a human being (woman) can avil of in her lifetime.
Carbon pricing works to reduce emissions, says study
Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion in countries that have carbon pricing are two percentage points lower than those that …
Bhutan’s experiments with happiness
The idyllic Buddhist kingdom believes that peace and happiness should take preference over material growth. In a world beset by inequities and …